The Ballad of Edward Cullen
by SceneItChamp
Summary: An un-canon story centering Edward Cullen. About his rebellious decade and the trials his family went through to get him back. Rating for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. Just a warning: This isn't super cannon.**

"This one's for you," he said softly, looking into the crowd for the girl he knew was absent. How did he know? She didn't exist. Not yet.

Edward Cullen began to play another soothing melody on the house piano of a tiny bar that had become his second home. He could feel the gazes of his audience whose thoughts he tried desperately to block out, but of course that was impossible. He could hear everybody he came near, and sometimes, those he wasn't so near to. It had been that way ever since he'd been turned into a Vampire.

The voices bled into his thoughts and tainted his once beautiful melodies with unintelligent opinions:

"He's so cute. I wonder if..."

"I'd very much like him in my bed tonight...I wonder how much money..."

"I'm so gorgeous... I wonder when Edward's going to come home."

This last one caught his attention. His fingers caught on the ivory keys as he glared into the crowd, searching out one of the people he'd been trying to forget: Rosalie.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly once he'd gotten visual confirmation of her presence. He floated down the stairs from the raised platform on which the piano sat, and headed straight for the door.

The vampire girl followed him, unaffected by the chill of the frosty December evening. "Edward," she said almost inaudibly.

He whipped around half-angrily. "What?"

"There's something you need to know," she said, her syllables weaving together so that human ears couldn't make sense of them. Edward raised his perfect eyebrows, wondering idly why she was in the city. "There's...a girl."

"A girl..." Edward repeated, trying not to get upset with his sister for taking her time.

Rosalie huffed an impatient sigh. "Carlisle is allowing a girl and her mate to live with us." she spat. For once, Edward had nothing to say. This seemed to please Rosalie. "Obviously, Carlisle trusts them, but I need to know what they're thinking."

Edward thought this over for a moment or two, then set his expression and said "A short trip couldn't do any harm."

Rosalie beamed her gorgeous smile, and grabbed his arm, sweeping him into the shadowy forest from which they could run properly.

**A/N-Being a prologue, this is a very short not-chapter. A pink frosted cookie goes to the first one to guess who's staying with the Cullens. I'll give you a hint: It's not very hard.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me.

"Hello?" Edward said quietly as he entered the house he once called his own.

"Edward!" Honey colored curls bounced every which way as Esme's head snapped up in disbelief. Her son was home.

Edward was the only one that really allowed her to be a mother to him. His voluntary absence was like losing her only son all over again. His other parent hadn't gotten on very well, either. Edward had inadvertently taken Carlisle's smile with him since his separation from the family, which ensured his warm welcome.

He seemed to appreciate it, whether or not that was because of how very well he knew their excitement. Everybody seemed to be having a decent enough time when the strangers entered the house, undoubtedly having heard the celebration from their trip to the forest.

The little pixie-woman seemed particularly excited to see Edward's return, and expressed that happiness by running to embrace him. "Edward!" she exclaimed in ecstasy. "It's so wonderful to have you here!"

Edward returned the embrace if only as a reflex reaction. When he had a chance to look at her (And, by doing so, read her thoughts), it was made clear why Carlisle had immediately agreed to the couple's staying. Her name was Alice, and she was a seer of destinies. She had perceived their staying with the Cullens for some time previous to their ever having met.

"Alice," Jasper muttered, seemingly embarrassed by the tiny doll. "Give him a moment. He doesn't know that you've met."

The girl smiled her impish grin back at her mate, half in apology and half in disregard. "He knows." she said omnisciently.

Edward smiled lightly. "Jasper?" he asked, holding out a hand for the man to shake. "I'm Edward Cullen. It's good to meet you."

Jasper smiled back. "Jasper Hale. I'm so glad you've returned."

Alice's smile dipped into a frown momentarily and her eyes unfocused, then snapped back to clarity. "He's not, though." she said, obviously unhappy.

Edward sighed. "I'm here for a visit." he stated bluntly.

"What?" Esme breathed at the same time that Rosalie's mate, Emmett, uttered, "You're not staying?"

"No, I'm not." Edward said, much to the disappointment of Carlisle especially. "I just wanted to see why Rosalie was so distraught."

"But you have to!" Alice exclaimed wildly, "It's important!"

Edward's jaw tightened slightly. "I know why you think it's important," he said stubbornly, having just seen her vision of their happy family as she did. "But you'll be fine without me. I have a life right now." The effect of his statement was quadrupled, at least, by his use of the word 'life', which he had claimed to have lost the day of his transformation to a Vampire and every day he lived as one.

Esme looked about to break. Carlisle's arm wrapped around her shoulders couldn't be enough to keep her together. Rosalie quickly stood and embraced her, glaring angrily at Edward.

"I should go," he said quickly, then stepped out of the house and into the darkness, ignoring the "Son!" he heard follow him out the door.


End file.
